FOOD and drink manufacturer Nestlé has turned its offices in York green to highlight UK Recycle Week.

Nestlé House, the office building sited on the company’s historic York confectionery campus in Haxby Road, has been glowing green and proudly displaying the iconic recycling swoosh from dawn to dusk this week.

Low energy LED lights are being used, powered by electricity produced on-site from Nestlé’s combined heat and power plant.

Nestlé UK and Ireland head of sustainability Anna Turrell said: “We are very proud to be supporting Recycle Week in the UK. The issue of packaging waste is one that we all have a role to play in tackling. Recycling is a critical part of the solution. At Nestlé, we are working hard to create a truly circular economy by eliminating waste and creating a value for our packaging materials like plastic so it can have multiple lives and uses.

“We are making some good progress in our ambition to have 100 per cent of our packaging recyclable or re-usable by 2025, but we recognise there is still a lot more to do. Working together with industry, government and consumers, we can achieve higher recycling rates. We can do this by supporting a simpler and standardised collection process across the UK, by producing only packaging that is easy to recycle, and reducing waste by eliminating non-recyclable or unnecessary packaging from consumer products.”

Paper packaging for the new range of Yes! fruit and nut bars, strong enough for use on high-speed production lines, is just one recent breakthrough innovation to come out of Nestlé’s R&D centre in York.

The empty wrappers can be disposed of for recycling alongside consumer’s old newspapers and magazines for council collection.

To achieve the 2025 goal, and minimize the impact of packaging on the environment, there are many further innovations in the pipeline, now accelerated with the opening of the Nestlé Institute of Packaging Sciences in Switzerland. The Institute is focusing on a number of science and technology areas, such as refillable or reusable packaging, simplified packaging materials, recycled packaging materials, high-performance barrier papers as well as bio-based, compostable and biodegradable materials.

A Nestlé spokesperson said: “Despite the significant developments in the packaging innovation pipeline, Nestlé understands that consumers are demanding recycling options now. Essential developments like improved and standardised national recycling infrastructure will take time for the Government and the wider industry to deliver. Nestlé is taking interim measures to play its part in reducing litter and increasing recycling.”

These measures include no more black caps from Nescafé and Nescafé Dolce Gusto pods being recyclable nationwide.

In addition, the iconic Nestlé confectionery brands like KitKat, Munchies, Aero, Milkybar and Rowntree’s are now recyclable in a major pilot scheme.

Recycle Week in the UK is organised by WRAP, the Waste and Resources Action Programme, and runs from September 23 to 29.